Changing Sorrows
by Madeline Cullen
Summary: Madara has taken over the Great Shinobi Nations. The Rookie Nine has fallen. Tsunade wakes up from her coma and give Sakura one last mission. Alter the course of time and prevent Konoha from being annihilated by the Uchiha and Danzo.
1. Chapter 1

There had been death. Terror. Destruction. In the wake of Madara's takeover, everyone was crushed in every form possible.

So as I stood there, standing over the remnants of what used to be the village hidden in the leaves, I felt the weight of the entire world on my shoulders.

As much as I felt like crying, I simply could not. My emerald eyes had shed all the tears they possibly could.

The war was over and barely any ninja from Konoha had survived. The rookie nine and Team Gai were completely decimated after Naruto was killed during the Kyuubi extraction.

Killer Bee hadn't even gotten the chance to teach Naruto how to control the Kyuubi. Madara had merely popped in and stole him and Naruto away.

I suppose we were lucky to not have seen the person who saved the village more than once as he was torn apart from the inside out.

The Jounin and ANBU were killed with more of a fight…

Including Kakashi-sensei. I hade run up to his lifeless form, pushing as much healing chakra as safely possible into his body. He was riddled with gaping whole, bleeding out on the already blood sodden soil.

Danzo didn't even stand a chance against Madara, no matter what he wanted to think. He was one of the very first to have been killed. The council, though old and on the verge of going senile, still embodied the organization that Konoha needed. Having clearly seen that, Madara Uchiha killed them in the first wave of annihilation.

Sasuke.

Sasuke was right at Madara's side. And no matter how much we told him, yelled at him, crashed our fists into his skull, he still could not comprehend how Madara was using him as a puppet.

So team by team, Konoha fell.

Hinata died from blood-loss, having been skewered by a two-by-four sent flying from one of Madara's attacks.

Kiba was crushed under a huge boulder running to the aide of Akamaru.

Ino got a kunai to the throat.

TenTen was completely massacre when her kunai were reflected back at her.

Shino was quickly eliminated once Madara made all of his allies disappear into another dimension.

Neji head was caved in on impact upon slamming into Rock Lee's chest, as they were flung at top speed into the side of the crater that was Konoha.

Shikamaru and Chouji were poisoned, their blood bubbling and leaking up to their pores and through their eyes until they choked on their own blood.

Shortly after Naruto was taken down, I retreated, to where Shizune and I had hidden Tsunade-sama.

And that was where I was given the most astounding mission I would ever receive during the course of my life.

* * *

><p>"<em>Sakura," Tsunade addressed me, having woken up from her coma only seconds ago. She looked at me with these determined yet hopeless eyes. "I have a mission for you."<em>

"_What? Tsunade-shishou, you've just woken up, surely the mission can wait! We have to relocate before Madara finds us again!" I had exclaimed, staring at my master with startled eyes. _

"_No, Sakura, what I am going to have you do, is more important."_

_I stopped at that point, "What?"_

_Shizune was busily scribbling characters and seals on the ground from a scroll. _

"_You are going to change everything that has happened up until this point. You will be going back in time to change the Shinobi world."_

* * *

><p>So I stood atop what used to be the Hokage Monument, not in the form of the blood-soaked kunoichi that had taken and given lives with her hands during the Fourth Shinobi war, but in the form of her twelve year old self.<p>

Tsunade-shishou had found a scroll that would enable the user to be transformed into their younger selves. Of course, they would retain their knowledge of their powers and their chakra capacity.

All this, was for me to travel back in time, before the Uchiha Massacre, to alter the course of time.

To prevent the destruction of my home.

With one last look at the crumbled houses and decimated tents, I turned, looking back at Shizune and Tsunade-shishou, nodding.

They were kneeling on the ground by my feet.

The jutsu would require all their chakra…

One last sacrifice.

"I will never forget you," I muttered, as their hands grasped my ankles, pumping the chakra through my system on the seals they had placed there.

And with that, I was gone from the sad realm from which I was born into, to travel back in time to change the Shinobi world.

**A/N: Reviews so I know whether to continue this story or not please. Even a smiley will do, but constructive criticism is appreciated as well! **


	2. Chapter 2

I landed unceremoniously onto a dirt road.

Which was better, I suppose, than landing into Madara's hands.

For a moment, as I laid there, face pressed up against the dirt, practically feeling the bacteria and viruses creating a home in the cuts that flowed down my face, I wondered if the jutsu had failed and I had perished and would be welcomed into the arms of my fallen friends.

A sharp, cold kunai pressed up against my jugular and a knee against my ribs, however, proved to me that I was neither in any Heaven nor Hell…But back in my own personal purgatory of the Shinobi Nations.

"Who are you and why are you trespassing?" the person, or rather ninja, demanded of me.

"Attack first, ask questions later," I muttered ruefully under my breath. Then louder, I told the ninja, "I am here to discuss business with Konoha's Hokage."

The pressure on my ribs dissipated before a hand wound itself in my hair and yanked my head up, "There have been no missions stated to have been incoming to the village. Tell the truth!"

"Idiot!" I hissed, "Look at my headband! Does it seem like that of a foreign shinobi!"

Before I knew it, my hair was released and my head slammed down onto the ground like elastic.

_Damn idiots,_ Inner Sakura seethed.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, I had been taken to the Hokage by teleportation jutsu. And I felt my heart pang as I stood in front of the third Hokage, five years before he was killed…the year of the Uchiha massacre.<p>

It was like watching the ghosts of your past run circles around you; it was unsettling and down right weird.

Immediately, I bowed with a respectful "Hokage-sama!" despite my wandering and pensive thoughts about the situation.

The ninja in the room seemed a bit stunned. But that was to be expected. A random ninja appears just outside the gates of Konoha, with a headband pertaining to the village, but is not someone they can readily recognize as being in their ranks. And the person who they could even recall looking like her just started the academy and is of a first generation soon-to-be ninja, with no relatives dallying within the dangerous profession.

"What is your name, young lady?" The Hokage addressed me.

At this point, I stood back up, looking the Hokage straight in the eye. "Haruno Sakura, Hokage-sama."

His eyes seemed to widen a bit. "Sakura-san, my Chunin tells me that you have business to discuss with me."

"Yes, Hokage-sama! I am on an S-ranked mission. All necessary information is in this scroll," I said, pulling out the scroll from my kunai pouch and handing it over to the Sandaime.

I stood silently as I watched him break the seals. Tsunade had not even told me what she had put within the scroll, saying that I would soon know.

But I suppose it was the general information about my mission and what the goal of it was.

Nothing much. Save for stopping the Fourth Great Shinobi War from occurring and preventing all the remaining Uchiha from going completely insane with power or guilt.

As soon as the Sandaime finished reading the scroll, he banished his ANBU from the room and laced his hands in front of his chin. "Sakura-chan, you come from the future."

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I am."

"This scroll here says that you have some…history to inform me of."

I looked him straight in the eye, nodding. "I am not sure how much I should disclose to you Hokage-sama, for fear of changing the course of time to the point that I will not be able to tell what events occur in the immediate future anymore. But I shall give you a brief outline based on what I learned in the future, a mere eight years from now. The Uchiha are massacred by Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Madara. Itachi was on orders by the council upon the impending coup. Uchiha Sasuke is the only survivor of the massacre. In the years following, Orochimaru puts the curse mark on Sasuke, Sound and Sand attack during the chunin exam and Akatsuki, a dangerous group lead by Uchiha Madara, begin hunting for Jinchuuriki.

"Uchiha Sasuke manages to kill Orochimaru and Uchiha Itachi. Konoha kills many members of the group Akatsuki. However, at the Five Kage Summit, Madara appears and declares the Fourth Great Shinobi World War. Of which I took part in. Madara launches his master plan. And thus the majority of the Shinobi forces who fight against him are killed in battle."

The Sandaime then stared at me, abject horror reflecting in his eyes but nothing else being reflected in his demeanor.

It was to be expected. Konoha and the entire Shinobi world went to hell. I had not even gotten to the part where he, the Sandaime, dies at the hands of Orochimaru and his Edo Tensei jutsu.

"It seems as though you have much on your hands, young Sakura," he said once the horror passed from his eyes to the more speculative look I was used to being on his face. "But tell me, what made your Hokage choose you and not someone else?"

I gave a bitter smile. He would understand if he had lived through to the War. Hell, he might of understood better if he had lived through the Sound and Sand invasion. "Perhaps the fact that I was the only kunoichi left alive, Hokage-sama."

He winced, "Yes, forgive me. What I meant was what abilities might you have that might aide you in your mission."

I ran a hand through my pink locks, sighing. I would have to spill a considerable amount of information in order to be dismissed. Hell, even this debriefing and retelling of the events that took place eight years from the current time span was taking a toll on me. I could feel tears springing to my eyes and coating them in a watery-film, but none would fall simply due to the fact that I had cried far too much as it was during the war and my eyes didn't seem to admit to the weakness that was crying.

Clenching my fists, I quickly summarized to him my abilities, "I was trained by one of the Great Sannin. I know vast medical jutsu and have pin-poin chakra control. My abilities, equal to that of Tsunade, should assist me in my mission. That is, if my knowledge of the events of the future are not sufficient enough."

He nodded gravely, and for a moment, there was a pause.

In that moment, I looked back behind the Hokage, where the windows were located. There were large buildings towering over roads, food stalls intermixing with businesses and the village market, birding on the lines that ran across the course of the village. If I squinted, I could spot the odd ninja or two leaping from the rooftops.

Maybe if I closed my eyes, I would be able to create an image of Kakashi poofing away from the Memorial Stone to meet up with Team 7, where Naruto would be glaring at Sasuke for some stupid and irrelevant reason, and Sasuke would just stare off unperturbed. Then I would crash my fist on Naruto's head, and he would go flying into a nearby tree, tears going down his face all the way there. And once Kakashi would poof in with some lame excuse, Naruto and I would yell "LIAR!" into his face while Sasuke would be all monosyllabic and say "Hn." Then…

"Sakura-san," the Hokage pulled me out of my reminiscent state of mind.

"Sorry, Hokage-sama. I was pulled into a world that no longer exists in my timeline."

"No, it does not. But perhaps you may have it in this timeline, permanently. Now, Sakura-san, your Hokage has specified that to continue with you mission you are to work on you ninjutsu to further integrate yourself into this timeline."

I nodded, I had already acknowledged that I would have to be more active in battle to achieve some of my missions goals. For one, Uchiha Itachi would likely have some trouble attempting to recognize a mere medic-nin, rather, it would make more sense for him to see someone who attacked and healed instead of simply one of the other.

But then a thought occurred to me. How had the Hokage known I was genuine and not a spy? I voiced my thoughts.

"Well, Sakura-san, the sorrow withing your eyes cannot be copied with a mere jutsu. Also, a scroll such as the one you brought me could have easily been booby-trapped, however, such arduous forgery of the Hokage seal could not have been practical for an assassination mission."

I nodded, my mind processing his evaluations. They were plausible.

"Furthermore, we must arrange you some housing and…a new surname."

My jaw dropped. "A new surname? A new permanent surname?"

The Hokage nodded. "It would be very troubling to have to explain to anyone why there are two Sakura Harunos running around, seeing as the Haruno have only one child."

"Should I change my given name as well?" I asked tentatively, not really willing to give up the final bits of my life that tied me to my past. As horrible as it was, it was still my identity, something no one was allowed to steal from me.

"Although that would be a wise decision, it is unnecessary. We merely need a different surname. Try to avoid the style of dress you used when you were the age you were at this point of time."

I nodded, sighing. Quickly, I thought up of a name.

Hatake was Kakashi's name.

Uchiha I could definitely not use.

I didn't fit the characteristics nor bloodline limit of a Hyuuga, nor Yamanaka, nor Akimichi or even a Nara.

So that left me with one option.

I told the Hokage my choice and smiled. I knew it would be weird for me to have the name but with the things I had planned, it was perfect. It would probably screw up time permanently, but if I could get some more information on the clan from the Library and then play myself off as a step daughter or something, then I would be able to pull off my little role.

The Hokage smiled. "That's a fine choice Sakura-san. Now I shall just, spread…news around about you, to peak the interest of the Uchiha. Perhaps they will start hearing about you, and that way, you will have an easier time completing your mission. Perhaps you see about getting the Yamanaka to know about you, it will soon spread around and then you will have a story to back up your notoriety and powers. Is that all right with you?"

My eyes brightened up as I looked at him, my jaw dropping slightly at the amount of help he was giving him. I grew up with him, but the Hokage had never really been the one that I had bonded with. I bonded with Tsunade-shishou, not this Hokage but he was still showing this amount of cooperation to some girl who looked like a twelve-year old!

Then again, it was the fate of the village that I had on my hands.

* * *

><p>I walked through the village road, looking around in wonder at all the buildings. To think that just a few hours ago, I was in this very same village but staring at the rubble and uncollected corpses that littered the crater where Konoha used to stand.<p>

To think that a few years from now, if I failed my mission, it would return to the state that I remembered it to be in just this morning; in shambles…completely destroyed and devoid of any hope of survival.

I padded around the village, my eyes wide looking t everything, nostrils flaring at the familiar scent of sweet dango cooking, ramen stewing in pots and barbecue pork being made within the restaurants.

Tsunade-sama had given me some money to work with once I got here. So I suppose I would have to find some supplies and scrolls to begin learning from.

I passed the village idly, when I caught my reflection in a store window. My headband…

It stood out too much on my head. So I bit my cheek and untied it from where it held most of my hair back and instead placed it on my forehead.

_Grrr…_I pursed my lips. I looked more serious like this. My eyes were steely, with just a hint of warmth creeping in from seeing Konoha up and running again.

As soon as I walked out of a weapons shop with my backpack laden with stuff I could use to train, I saw a familiar blonde head streaking through the streets.

I smiled…

That is, until he crashed into me.

I fell onto the floor with a loud OOMPH, and laughed when he grasped his head in pain, rocking back and forth saying "OWWW!"

I pushed myself up to my feet and held my hand out to him. His eyes squished close, as if waiting for an inevitable blow. But after a while, he realized I was not going to strike his little form. When he opened his eyes and saw that I wasn't going to bash him in or turn him into the Chunin that were no doubt on his tail, he jaw dropped. But then he quickly took my hand when he saw my friendly smile. The same smile I loved to see and took for granted in the future.

"Thanks, nee-chan!"

"No problem. You're Naruto-kun, aren't you?"

"Ne, how did you know that nee-chan?"

I grinned this time. "Hokage-sama. I think he instructed me to be your care taker, Chibi-chan."

"What?"


	3. Chapter 3

I meandered through the streets of Konoha, Naruto quietly following along. He seemed to have been really pensive, glancing at me and looking like he was comparing two things what with his hands imitating a crude balance.

I didn't know I was going to encounter Naruto this soon in the timeline. Though the Hokage and I had agreed that if I hadn't found the child on my own terms, we would find the child by our own drastic means.

That meant, intervene in the Uchiha timeline by finding Itachi and enlisting him as one of the people with to find him with me.

It was a whole complicated mess that would have required a lot of effort and messing up of the timelines but would have allowed me to get close to the older of the Uchiha heirs and attempt to, through him, prevent Madara from manipulating the thoughts of the Uchiha to the point that the Council members would feel threatened and thus feel the need to employ Itachi under the table into completely annihilating his own family.

However, Naruto being his klutzy and mischievous self just happened to have fallen into my lap and made my mission that much easier in a way. Then again, it was difficult because I would have to think of another way of getting close to the Uchiha and seeing into his innermost thoughts and psychoanalyzing him and conditioning him until he did something that would allow me to decide that the future would be better off that way.

Of course, the best option would be to cut off and eliminate Madara before the massacre and before he would ever be tempted to unify the world but that was just impractical. Konoha was not strong enough yet to face Madara. Even eight years after the Kyuubi attack, the Hokage told me, the shinobi ranks were not up to were they should have been.

I sighed and continued on my walk. I would have enough time to ruminate over my decisions in the many scheduled visits I would have with the Hokage. He was an expert; after all, they did call him the Professor. We could discuss the many nuances and decisions that would influence the future, even create a risk-benefit analysis.

But one thing was for sure. We would have to come to a decision about the Uchiha's fate soon. From what I knew, the massacre would take place a mere three months from now, and neither Sandaime-sama nor I were particularly sure of how far the council members had gone to influence Itachi thus far.

"Nee-san?" Naruto called, startling me way out of my reverie. His eyes stared at me in a manner that was completely the opposite of the Naruto I used to know.

"Yes, Naruto-kun?"

"You look awfully like a girl I know from the Academy…" he said slowly and cautiously, as if any faster and I might strike him for his insolence.

I smiled, quickly coming up with the story the Hokage and I had fabricated to go along with my name and history. "Wow, really Naruto-kun? And what happens to be this girl's name?"

"Her name is Sakura-chan but she gets bullied a lot at the Academy because of her forehead, she has the same color hair as you, and I think the same color eyes but her hair sort of covers her eyes, like a sheepdog!"

I made an overly surprised face, "What a coincidence! My name is Sakura as well!"

"Really? Is your hair natural as well? Cause that's what she told the teacher! That its natural!"

"No, sadly mine is just hair dye. See, someone I know from my time in the Land of Whirlpool dyed my hair this color. Actually," I touched Naruto's hair fondly, an idea striking up into my head. "My hair is your color. And you know what my last name is, Naruto-kun?"

"What is it?" He exclaimed, practically bouncing up and down in anticipation of my answer.

"Uzumaki Sakura."

"Uwah! So you're related to me, nee-chan?" he exclaimed, completely stunned.

"In a way yes, distant cousins I suppose. But no matter! Hokage-sama has given me permission, as your family, to become your guardian." I smiled at him, but then was thrown down by the force behind his tackle hug.

* * *

><p>I stood inside our apartment, giving it a cursory glance. It wasn't fairly big. The bedroom was apart from the kitchen and "den" but that was about it. There was a pull out couch and a small library, stocked with some scrolls already. (I suppose the Hokage really was helping me out in my mission all he could.)<p>

A quick glance into the fridge brought to my attention the fact that it only had the basics. The cabinets had some instant ramen (I quickly noted in my head to put a limit on Naruto's intake of the food. As long as I told him that I allowed him to have it in moderation, it would not hinder his progress as a ninja and his physical growth as well.

Other than the other little nuances, I could definitely deal with the apartment. It would suffice for Naruto and me.

I sighed as I realized that I would have to get the part I was dreading.

Reluctantly, I pulled out a little box from my medic nin shorts. "Naruto-kun? Would you like to help me in dying my hair?"

"YES!"

Something told me, that the affirmative answer that he gave me was just a little bit too enthusiastic to be completely innocent.

Of course, after an hour battling over the sink with Naruto and one particular instant where he accidently dumped some yellow dye onto his hands and clamped them onto my shirt after laughing at how I "looked like a tin foil alien with antennas" while coloring my hair.

I scowled, sitting down on the couch with a scroll opened up in front of me, occasionally glaring playfully at Naruto for having ruined the only shirt that I had thought to bring with me to the future.

And unluckily for little old me, I had neglected to buy clothes while I was in the market.

Naruto simply stayed giggling in front of me and pointing from my head to my shirt every once in a while.

Then I conceded and laughed with him. He was just too innocent and pure to not laugh with him.

* * *

><p>"No!"<p>

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Naruto, you're eating your vegetables and that is final!" I said in a firm voice, pushing the bowl of steamed veggies in front of the bundle of energy.

"But, Sakura-nee-san! They're icky! They smell weird and they look like tiny trees!" he exclaimed, his eyes turning into little slits as he made a gagging face.

"They will help you become a stronger ninja!"

"How? Those things will kill me first! Why can't we have ramen instead?"

"Because ramen has little to no nutritional value, will stunt your growth, and inevitably lead to your lack of choice when looking for a girlfriend when you are older!"

He simply looked at me like I was nuts. "Nee-chan, you speak weird."

I rolled my eyes. "You're eating them, or else no ramen for the rest of your life, Chibi-chan."

"WHAAAAAAT?"

* * *

><p>"Sakura-nee-chan, what are you doing?" Naruto asked me.<p>

I glanced at him briefly.

"I am researching a method of recreating a technique my old master came up with."

Naruto gave a grin, his whisker marks contorting as he grinned at me impishly. "Can I learn it?"

I chuckled. "No, Naruto-kun. You have homework from the Academy that you must do, right?"

"Awww, but nee-chan, the theories and practicing shuriken throwing won't help me become a great ninja! I need to learn great jutsu!" he punctuated this with a pout.

"Yes, Naruto-kun, however, every great ninja has to begin somewhere. Before you get to learn great jutsu, you must learn accuracy with shuriken and Tai-jutsu. That way, you will be able to defend your teammates should you run low on chakra. You must learn to defend before you may attack, Naruto-kun."

Though I really wasn't one to be giving advice in this…for as far as I could remember, Naruto had been the one protecting me. Why? Because I was far too obsessed with getting Sasuke-kun's attention rather than improving myself as a ninja.

That is, until he left. That was when I suppose you could say I got stronger under Tsunade-sama, but I still required people to protect me from harm, simply due to the fact that I was the only medic nin on most missions.

Naruto pouted, "Nee-chan, learning shuriken throwing is so boring though!"

I shrugged, smiling at him. "You will feel better for learning it when you become a great ninja."

* * *

><p>The leaves rustled as I stood in training ground seven, panting as I did my cool down. I had been working on tai-jutsu while Naruto went to the Academy, having taken a bit of my own advice and practiced my basics. Hell, I went so far as to pull a Lee and put some light weights on my limbs so as to further advance my development.<p>

The jutsu Tsunade had placed on me maintained my prowess from the future however, it left considerable room to grow. If I meditated I would be able to get my chakra levels to their maximum capacity in about four years. Even more if I could master the jutsu that Tsunade created…

I sighed and crouched down on the floor, completely exhausted after my strenuous training session. And I hadn't even begun on the jutsu I was planning on learning!

Nothing all too flashy; just some elemental techniques that my collection of jutsu was severely lacking—after all I couldn't depend on my chakra-enhanced strength all the time during fights. I would have to fall back on something else in case a sticky situation arose, as I had tried to explain to Naruto earlier on in the week.

I ran a hand through my hair, my mouth twitching up when I caught sight of the bright blonde hair in my peripheral vision; just another reminder of all I had to do.

After a fair bit of thinking, I allowed myself to flop down on the bright green grass and stare up at the blue sky, lazy clouds floating about.

Uchiha Itachi…

The name floated around my head like a dangerous poison. I hadn't even met the boy in this timeline, the decidedly ANBU Itachi who was a little less dangerous, if not just as, his future Akatsuki self.

My mind had come up with thousands of incidents where I would meet him and we would gradually get to know each other and I would end up either one; ruining the timeline, two; saving the timeline, or three; keeping everything the same as it was during the first.

Only one of those was very favorable, which narrowed my success rate down to thirty-three point three percent.

When factoring in all the different situations that might occur within that timeline to screw up something crucial, the percent fell down to about five percent success rate.

And all the seemingly unimportant details that could have already been screwed up by my presence in this timeline? Forget it. The percentage was so infinitesimally small that it gave me nightmares at night, hence the developing bags underneath my eyes.

I closed my eyes, just lying there, feeling the chakra swirl around from ninja and civilians moving all around.

That is, when I felt one supremely imposing chakra signature that I could in no way ignore.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I am honestly surprised by the amount of reviews this story got so quickly. Thank you! Anyways, my goal is to get to thirty reviews before I post the next chapter! Oh and cliff hanger, aren't I an evil author? Who is this person? And for those of you who are thinking of pairings, just suggest some to me, gimme your best reason why, and I will see if I can squeeze it into the plot I have in mind. Ja ne!**


	4. Chapter 4

_I closed my eyes, just lying there, feeling the chakra swirl around from ninja and civilians moving all around._

_That is, when I felt one supremely imposing chakra signature that I could in no way ignore._

"Uchiha-san, what is it that you need?" I asked politely, sitting up from my position on the floor to look up at the infamous Uchiha Itachi. He had a porcelain ANBU mask in the shape of a weasel on. His hair was in a low pony tail, much how it was when I saw him in my timeline.

_WHY THE HELL IS NOTHING GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN? _My Inner yelled, probably ripping her hair out.

_Maybe because we are the confounding variable in this experiment?_ I asked sarcastically. Of course, it was true. First, I meet Naruto ahead of time and end up taking him into my home and becoming his guardian. Although it was part of my plan, it was never really my intention to have it occur so quickly after my arrival. Second, the Uchiha finds me and manages to through the biggest kunai in the shinobi world at my plans.

Maybe I should have given up trying to control things and schedule them?

Itachi looked down at me, staring through the holes of his ANBU mask at me.

I was half expecting him to ask me how the hell I knew who he was, but then again, this was an _Uchiha_ I was speaking to. And Uchiha's are way too cool for frivolous questions. _Way_ too cool.

"The Hokage has designated me to be your training partner until you become accustomed to the shinobi way of Konoha, Uzumaki-san."

My mind, of course drew a blank.

Then after a pause, I realized exactly what his words meant.

The Hokage did something without my consent! He went ahead and made a decision that would impact all of my plans!

Then again, all I had was a sad little skeleton of a "plan." And the massacre was nearing so perhaps he made a decision without my input due to the relative lack of time we had to debate everything?

That, at least, I could accept.

I rose from my position on the ground and gave (soon-to-be?) mass murderer a tight smile. "Okay then, Uchiha-san, how should we start?"

The person behind the mask was simply quiet, and after a very awkward pause I could hear a faint "Hn."

I could have face planted right then and there.

After scrounging up some coherent, non-violent thoughts, I spoke again. "Should we begin with standard Academy introductions then? But I suppose for that we should move to a more secure location, Uchiha-san."

I waited for a response before he gave a curt nod and blurred off at a moderate speed.

Well, moderate for him. I struggled to some extent to keep up, before I began leading a steady flow of chakra to my legs so that I would at least get there without looking like I was out of shape. Resisting the urge to sigh, I kept pace with him. Perhaps I had made a bad decision when I put on my chakra weights this morning?

After a good bit of traveling, we arrived at a place that I would never have thought I would ever get to see with my own eyes.

The Uchiha compound.

We passed by the gates, then he led me through the whole place, getting queer looks from people how noticed…how not Uchiha-ish I looked.

From what I knew, it was really odd for clan compounds, such as the Hyuuga or Uchiha, to allow any outsiders in. I felt a moment of honor then quickly realized that it was probably not of Itachi's own volition that he was acquiescing with all of my suggestions. The Hokage (or hell—even the council) could have told him to try and go with what I said to create a more stable sense of teamwork.

But then again, was this arrangement going to be long term? Or merely an opening so that I might leech myself onto the Uchiha and manipulate them until a desirable outcome arose?

Before I realized it, Itachi had led me to a large house with the ever-present Uchiha fan prominently displayed. He indicated to me to sit down on one of the matts while he disappeared into the winding corridors of the house.

I stared around the room, noting the lack of decorations and the lack of knick knacks that would have given the house a more familial feel to it. I almost felt pity when I could locate none but some pictures.

Footsteps coming up behind me alerted me to another presence within the room.

I turned with a smile, looking at the woman before me.

"Hello, did Itachi-chan bring you?" she asked.

_Did she just call this freaking powerhouse "-chan," _Inner Sakura questioned.

I nodded, getting up and bowing to the elder woman. "Yes ma'am, I am Uzumaki Sakura, pleased to meet you."

She gave a slight bow of her head, "Uchiha Mikoto, nice to meet you too, Uzumaki-san. Did Itachi-chan leave you here all by yourself?"

"No mother," came the voice from another corridor, "I was merely getting out of my uniform."

"Oh okay, dear. I will leave you both to your shinobi business." And with that, she turned on her heel and marched off into the maze of a house.

Which allowed me to get my first real look at the Uchiha killer.

He was tall, about Sasuke's height when we were on Team Seven, with the same raven hair, two lines going down his cheeks and the almost feminine, perpetually staring black Uchiha eyes. If I squinted, he even looked like Sasuke to me.

"Forgive me for the wait, Uzumaki-san, my younger brother asked me for something. Now, I believe, introductions are in order."

I waited a second then realized he was waiting for me to clarify how we were going to introduce ourselves. "I believe name, likes, dislikes, and dreams for the future should be appropriate. I am Uzumaki Sakura, I like my otouto and healing, I dislike traitors and my dream for the future is to…protect those precious to me."

"I am Uchiha Itachi, I like my otouto and missions, I also dislike traitors and my dream for the future…is to live up to my brother's expectations." It was either he was ridiculing my choice in words or he really was a good person.

Likely the latter; judging from what I knew of Uchiha mannerisms (which was limited), they preferred you to notice that they were making fun of you and see you blow up. It was very entertaining to be a spectator to one of these types of situations.

Another set of silence.

I resisted the urge to sigh. It was going to be one hell of a long day.

* * *

><p><em>So team by team, Konoha fell.<em>

_She had been fighting valiantly. Her fists flying at incredible speeds! Her jyuuken seeming impenetrable—the true heir to the Hyuuga clan! But then she met her match. It came blindingly. _

_I never would have expected it to happen, but somehow, Madara had managed to kill the heiress by accident. Just as a bystander caught in one of his attacks. _

_Who kills a Hyuuga by accident?_

_Only Madara_

_Hinata died from blood-loss, having been skewered by a two-by-four sent flying from one of Madara's attacks._

_And then there she was. Her hair whipped through the air, and moments ago she had been fighting right along side her dad. Until he was taken down along with Morino Ibiki during this big technique that Madara implemented. _

_And yet, her death was simple. _

_Ino got a kunai to the throat._

_He was one that I didn't think would be in that much trouble. I mean, he was on the verge of being promoted to Jounin and was on Naruto and Sasuke's tail when it came to his shinobi abilities. He had been attempting to track down Madara within the village, having just figured out how to track him even through he could disappear from the dimension with the ease that a snake ambushes and unsuspecting rat. _

_Of course, he didn't notice Madara on the side of a mountain, performing an earth jutsu._

_Kiba was crushed under a huge boulder running to the aide of Akamaru._

_They were fighting side by side, even though they were rivals who wanted nothing more than recognition for their efforts. And yet, a simple kick by on of Kabuto's revived shinobi caused the most gory impact that I had ever witnessed._

_Neji head was caved in on impact upon slamming into Rock Lee's chest, as they were flung at top speed into the side of the crater that was Konoha._

_A quick senbon was all that it took. It slammed into them with some unknown poison, that when I would analyze it, I would not be able to find and antidote due to the fact that all residues of the poison disappeared._

_Shikamaru and Chouji were poisoned, their blood bubbling and leaking up to their pores and through their eyes until they choked on their own blood._

_Shino was quickly eliminated once Madara made all of his allies disappear into another dimension._

_TenTen was completely massacre when her kunai were reflected back at her._

_Sasuke was right at Madara's side. And no matter how much we told him, yelled at him, crashed our fists into his skull, he still could not comprehend how Madara was using him as a puppet._

* * *

><p>I woke with a start, Naruto yelling in my ear to wake up, tears streaming down my face.<p>

It took me awhile to realize that I was not in the destroyed village anymore, the scent of death was not surrounding me, I would not be left alone again.

But still even as I looked at Naruto, I saw his death.

This was one I had not witnessed, but still I could imagine what Madara had done.

And I continued sobbing as I pictured the blood running down on his face, skin pale—drained of its red life source, his mouth twisted into a forever horrified scream…

I don't recall what happened after that, all I recall of the day is that Naruto had to leave my crying form to answer the door once, and in waltzed Uchiha Itachi.

He knocked me out of course, being merciful.

But I was not sure if in that brief moment my eyes met his eyes before then bled into Sharingan I saw a flash of sympathy.

Itachi died at the hands of his younger brother, to return honor to the disgraced Uchiha family.

* * *

><p>Itachi was having something of a conundrum as he watched the blonde girl named Sakura run out of the training grounds to fetch her otouto-san, the red Uzumaki insignia on the back of her black shirt practically blazing in announcement of who she was.<p>

How is it that this girl came to be?

She had run off after showing Itachi most of her abilities for her to be ranked and placed in the ANBU, as per the Hokage's instruction.

And she had just showed him her prowess, which easily placed her as a low level Jounin.

* * *

><p>"Hokage-sama, the charge you assigned me to train, Uzumaki-san, she is mentally unstable." It wasn't a question, but a succinct fact. Itachi just kept a steady gaze on his leader.<p>

He had been observing the girl, Uzumaki Sakura, and had learned much from her.

She was much more quiet than her lineage would suggest, the Uzumaki clan being famous for having boisterous members with outrageous personalities.

However the girl was very…reserved. Only on occasion he could sense emotional flares from the girl, but strangely they seemed more on the emotional side than anything. He tested her patience by being as stoic and unresponsive as possible, yet she barely showed any outward emotion in them.

And then her eyes…they reflected participation in war, great loss and hopelessness. But they also shone with stubborn determination.

"I know."

This, Itachi did not expect. Perhaps a surprised look, perhaps a stony order to do away with her or a mere raising of the eyebrow. He, however, did not expect for him to passively proclaim his knowledge of the fact and then for him to reach over and start smoking his pipe.

However, Itachi was not about to question his superior.

"She has great potential for ANBU with her abilities, though her reaction times are really inefficient along with her dodging, but nothing that cannot be rectified with some added training. Her tactical abilities are above average but not on point with any Naras. Yet, there is something that I would like to discuss with you. She has an odd chakra…almost as if she has the chakra of multiple entities. However, I have not been able to analyze the chakra of other Uzumaki other than the boy, and even then that account is made moot seeing as in reality he actually has multiple entities, or at least the residue of other entities, within his person."

Sarutobi drew a long breath, his gray eyebrows furrowing as he thought about the new development in the time traveler's story.

He had heard previously of individual's who had the ability to take in others chakras, but the ritual would…

He pinched the bridge of his nose, why did he not see it before?

The Village Hidden in the Whirling Tides!

* * *

><p>I stared at the Chakra affinity paper, wondering how the hell I had managed to get such an odd chakra affinity.<p>

Why would I have an affinity for water and wind?

Sure it had healing properties, but for Pete's sake I was born in Fire Country! I was expecting something a bit more dangerous than water and wind?

Hell, Sasuke got fire and lightening, but I get water and wind?

Then again, Naruto got only wind and he was one of the most dangerous and powerful shinobi I knew.

I sighed. Maybe if I researched it some more I would be able to figure everything out.

For now, I would focus on medical jutsu…

That is, the medical jutsu I could use as both healing and offensive.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

_I stared at the Chakra affinity paper, wondering how the hell I had managed to get such an odd chakra affinity._

_Why would I have an affinity for water and wind?_

_Sure it had healing properties, but for Pete's sake I was born in Fire Country! I was expecting something a bit more dangerous than water and wind?_

_Hell, Sasuke got fire and lightening, but I get water and wind?_

_Then again, Naruto got only wind and he was one of the most dangerous and powerful shinobi I knew._

_I sighed. Maybe if I researched it some more I would be able to figure everything out._

_For now, I would focus on medical jutsu…_

_That is, the medical jutsu I could use as both healing and offensive._

There were days where I wondered what the hell I was doing with my life.

* * *

><p>I woke up two hours before sunrise and did a fifteen minute warm up, followed by forty-five minutes of intense tai-jutsu training, thirty minutes of tumbling and gymnastics, forty-five minutes of weapons training, fifteen minute cool down. And then by the time the sun had been up for an hour, I would have already meditated and made breakfast for Naruto.<p>

Once the bundle of never-ending energy was up, I'd walk him to the Academy, indulge in the sound of his voice, which was forever erased from the place that I had come from.

The topics ranged vastly, but I still found myself enjoying my time with him. But once he was inside the Academy walls, I found myself wondering what to do.

Of course, my instincts told me to run into the library to read, but Tsunade-shishou had ground into me almost every piece of medical information that she had in her repertoire. I still had some things to learn, for one never really finished their medical education, but for now I was satisfied with my knowledge in that particular field.

It was in the week before the Hokage called me in that I fell into a sort of stupor, not knowing what the hell to do with myself; from what I knew, Itachi had gone on a weeklong mission with the ANBU and would not be returning until my meeting with the Hokage.

I found that to be somewhat convenient, but shook my head of those thoughts when I heard it.

Who was I to question the motives of the Hokage?

On occasion, I would go into the Uchiha compound and converse with Mikoto-san, who I found had a good knowledge of herbs and creams to cure burns which would have been useful to me during the war.

We would talk lightly, and then I would leave after a while, unable to handle her friendliness knowing that she might die in the next few months.

That seemed to be my main problem with having time to myself.

No matter what I did, if I did not have something to distract me, whether it was analyzing Itachi's mental well-being, bettering myself, or enjoying my time with Naruto, I was…for lack of a better word, moping.

So I did my best to abstain from moping and busied myself as much as I could.

And that resulted in my putting weights on my body to increase my speed and searching for more information on the Uzumaki and seals.

The latter occurred because my back-story was starting to waver.

Also, for the first time in my life, I was having trouble with my Chakra.

The irrational part of me thought that it might've been some curse garnered from pretending to be from one of the Shinobi Nation's most feared clans. They were seal masters after all and could have put some weird vocally activated seal on lies like a weird taboo that would mess with whoever was arrogant enough to claim the Uzumaki name.

The rational part of me hit the irrational side with a frying pan and spit on it. No seals like that existed to my knowledge, and none would exist since the worlds greatest seal masters had died long before advancing that far in seal technology.

Well, despite my unruly chakra, I still managed to wander around the training grounds, and from there I received a scroll detailing a B-rank mission with Chunin Mitarashi Anko, someone who scared me when I was a child yet seemed almost comforting with my current state.

We were to meet at the gates of Konoha at five am, so the night before the mission, I explained to Naruto that I might not be home for a week. So I gave him express permission to bug the Hokage and his grandson for entertainment, and if he sees a gray haired man reading a little orange book, then he was free to torment him.

So, with a full pack, I set out to the gates at a quick jog and arrived two minutes before five.

And when I arrived there, I saw Anko, in all of her fourteen-year-old glory. She was munching on a stick of dumpling and frowned when she saw me.

"Dammit, why is the Hokage sending me out with some twerp?" she muttered, flicking the stick away. Then she crossed her arms and asked me: "What's your name, maggot?"

I gave her a wan smile, "Uzumaki Sakura, Mitarashi-senpai."

She cocked an eyebrow at me than puffed her cheeks out, "You're not all that bad, twerp, let's go. We need to get to Higurashi-cho by nightfall. We'll meet our client there and then work out the details of the mission then."

Higurashi-cho was a small city along the border of fire, near Port City. It was a small city ruled by a town council and many nobles and fire royalty liked to vacation there, so any mission there was deemed B-rank or higher, simply due to the high profile civilians and the likelihood of high level attacks and bounty hunters.

Though the mission itself was fairly simple in written word—arrive at Higurashi-cho, investigate the disappearances of three of the seven council members, and capture the culprit—I had a feeling that the Hokage had some ulterior motive for sending us on the mission.

He had promised me a week of time before he would rank me and send me out on any missions and the fact that he went back on his word could mean one of two things. Either he was running short on shinobi or this was some sort of final test.

But then again, why would he send me out with Anko?

For all I knew, Anko was the pariah of Konoha at this time as much as Naruto. Having been abandoned by Orochimaru as a failed experiment, dumped back in Leaf and left to die with the curse mark?

It could have been some ploy to see where our loyalties were, but that, too, was improbable.

So that meant that the answer was somewhere in the future.

I tried to think back to Anko's timeline but drew a blank time and time again.

As the Hokage's Apprentice and a medic, I didn't get much time to interact with the Special Jounin, unless it involved Orochimaru. And those few times I really did interact with her, I was too much of a coward to really find out more about the mysterious snake summoner.

But then again…

Didn't Tsunade-shishou mention something about how Anko was promoted to Jounin when she was fourteen?

Was this somehow out Jounin promotion test?

I shook my head, it was pointless to try and figure all this out with as little information as I had.

We kept jumping to the trees until the sun started disappearing over the horizon and the city of Higurashi-cho appeared right before out eyes.

It was filled with these big imposing buildings and many advertisements as far as the eye could see, bright colors announcing operas and spas, theatres and a multitude of other recreational activities.

The trees thinned as we got closer to the town, until the soft dirt turned into hard, worn cobble stone at the walls of the city.

It looked like such a peaceful, upper class town—not a place where you would assume potential kidnappings to be occurring at.

As we got the gates, Anko stopped and turned to me, "Look, these people aren't really used to ninja. So we have to be careful about how we say things. They're already scared out of their wits with half their government gone, so let's try and keep our cool and make this go as smoothly as possible, got it?"

I nodded, putting my fists up in front of me, "Got it, Mitarashi-senpai!"

She froze then smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand, letting it slide down her face, "Oh boy, this is going to be a long mission."

* * *

><p>The building where we were escorted to had a low tiled-roof, with two double doors on the outside being the only entrance or exit. But on the inside, it was a maze of connecting corridors and dormitories. The compound was the renovated ruin of an old shinobi clan that used to live in Higurashi-cho years ago however they were wiped out during the war against Hidden Stone.<p>

Anko and myself chose one of the more furnished rooms to settle ourselves in. It wasn't really all that grand, some plastic folding chairs, a card table and two futons rolled up in the corner of the room. But it was fine, we weren't in the city for pleasure, we were on business.

I found myself somewhat surprised with how Anko dropped most of her threatening personality once we started discussing the mission. She was the kind of shinobi that was no-nonsense on missions, it seemed. She was completely involved in the mission, biting on the end of her thumb as she read through the mission brief, scribbling notes in the margin and running her hand through her purple hair—it was something of an eye opener for me.

Anko wasn't scary when she was out of the village—it was a front to intimidate the villagers.

She was like Naruto in that way. He smiled inside of the village but once he was out he seemed to relax some. At least, the Naruto I used to know.

I wasn't even sure he would be the same Naruto come that time, since I was interfering so much with the timeline.

As I laid in my futon that night, staring up at the ceiling, I just couldn't help but wonder, how much had I already changed?

Itachi knew me, and interacted with me, and from those long stares at me, he suspected something was off about me. And by association, Sasuke had started taking up interest in the weird blond girl who was with his brother nearly twenty-four seven for some time.

Anko was now interacting with me, and because of my lack of knowledge on her, I was treading into dangerous territory, not knowing how much about her I was going to change with my mere presence on this mission.

The Third knew about my circumstances, whether that would prolong or shorten his life was really up to fate.

And lastly Naruto; Naruto who had become so strong in the future… would her presence weaken him? Or make him stronger?

As soon as morning arrived, Anko and I purchased a quick breakfast and set out for the Council's building; a very nondescript, plain building.

Inside we found ourselves in a big round circular room, with a long red table, shaped like a U, with seven seats—three of which were empty—in the center. The room itself had no windows and a very ominous feel, to me if felt like the perfect place for planning conspiracies.

"So you're telling me that there is no evidence that they were kidnapped?" Anko asked, one hand on her hip and the other underneath her chin.

"No, young lady, there is no evidence at all. It's as if they vanished into thin air!" Migiyama Koji, a big burly councilman with a long tangle beard that flopped over his massive stomach and squinty eyes said.

I looked at Anko meaningfully. "Then it was likely Shinobi, Anko-senpai," I whispered.

She gave me a curt nod. "Did your police department find anything?"

The councilman Migiyama frowned yet again, making it look as if his caterpillar of a mustache was curling around his thin lips. "No they found nothing, but our police department is just a few of the citizens who volunteer from time to time. I can give you the addresses of the council members so you may prepare your own investigations, but please keep in mind that we are a quiet, vacation city."

Both Anko and I nodded. "Don't worry, Migiyama-sama, we'll be sure to do our best and find your colleagues."

* * *

><p>"I've found the remnants of shinobi weapons, Anko-senpai," I said, pointing at a series of small indentations in the wall of the first councilwoman. "It seems the shinobi were senbon users, judging by the size of the holes. The councilwoman must have put up a fight because there are similar marks on the opposite side of the room, indicating quick retaliation." I said quickly, running my fingers over the punctures in the blue wall.<p>

I moved away from the wall when I didn't hear Anko reply to me and went into the kitchen where she was hunched over a stain on the floor, "Anko-senpai?"

She was shaking her head, biting her thumb, "This doesn't make sense, and there's blood on the floor in several places, suggesting that this wasn't a simple civilian councilwoman versus shinobi, this is more like a shinobi versus shinobi takeover."


End file.
